Believe!

Click the photograph to see more of the 2011 Carol Concert

Believe!
Not even a power cut could de-rail the 3rd annual community carol concert at Ayr entitled Believe!

As an unexpected bonus, the concert, featuring the Corps’ Community Gospel Choir, Kilmarnock Concert Brass Ensemble and the Gordon Anderson Praise Band morphed into a “Carols by Candlelight” evening of praise and adoration of the Christ-child.

The 700-strong congregation was treated to some fantastic singing from the Gospel Choir and a collection of £1,350 was uplifted to support the Army’s work in Ukraine and a local homelessness project.

Alongside the singing of favourites such as Hark the Herald Angels Sing and Starry Night, the evening also included more contemporary numbers and concluded with a superb finale – Rebekah Parkhill thrilling the packed church with her angelic singing of “He is Immanuel”, followed by Bobby Irvine’s rendition of “Have yourself a merry little Christmas” and a final carol “O Come all ye faithful”.

It certainly is a great time to Believe – in God and in His plan for His Corps at Ayr.

In the bleak midwinter

Join with us on Midwinter’s Eve as we ponder again the Christmas Story as it is presented through the reading of nine passages of the Holy Scriptures and sung in many of your favourite carols, including Once in Royal David’s City, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Silent Night, O Come all ye Faithful and Hark the Herald Angels Sing.

Set in the beautiful Tudor Gothic Church recently purchased by the Salvation Army, this service follows the traditional format of the Carol Service produced by the choir of King’s College Chapel, Cambridge. Each Christmas Eve since 1928 the service has been broadcast from the Chapel by the BBC.

The Dean of the Chapel, Eric Milner-White explains, “The main theme of the service is the development of the loving purposes of God as seen through the windows and words of the Bible.”

The centre of the service is still found by those who will go ‘in heart and mind’ and who consent to follow where the story leads.

Community Carol Concert 2011

Living Stones!

View more photographs of the occasion by clicking here!

A fantastic evening of praise and thanksgiving to God was held on Sunday 2nd October as Majors Russell and Catherine Wyles, Division Leaders of the West Scotland Division, dedicated the new Salvation Army Community Church and Halls to God and to the mission and ministry of the Salvation Army in Ayr.

Captain Graeme Parkhill opened the meeting with the words of Psalm 100, with verses 4&5 seeming particularly relevant for the evening - “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise his Name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

Captain Wendy Parkhill then led the gathered congregation, about 250 strong, in the opening song “I stand amazed in the presence” before praying God’s blessing upon our efforts and handing over to the Divisional Leaders who led the rest of the meeting.

Musical contributions from the Ayr Citadel Band and the Ayr Community Gospel Choir, who sang two songs, “Lord I come to you” and “God is working” added greatly to the sense of worship evident in the meeting.

The Reverend Liz Crumlish, minister of Castlehill Parish Church and Chair of the Ayr Mission Committee gave words of welcome and thanks on behalf of local Church Leaders; and Mr Joe Lafferty, a local community councillor, brought civic greetings.

The Divisional Commander reminded the congregation that as Christians living in the world, we should remember that the “bricks and mortar” of new buildings are only part of what is needed for the Salvation Army in Ayr to continue to thrive – all members of the congregation should be Living Stones, built together to take the transforming love of God to our community. His message seemed to be summed up in the words of the fourth song:

“Except you build the house, Lord,
Our work is all in vain,
Except your Spirit fill it,
But blocks of stone remain;
But if our hearts are open
And you in power come down
The glory of your presence
Will all our labours crown.”
(Song 943 in the Salvation Army Song Book)

With prayers said for the Corps Officers, Captains Graeme and Wendy Parkhill; members of the Corps Leadership Team; members of the Corps; members of the wider Christian Church in Ayr; and finally members of the Wallacetown community, which the new Community Church and halls borders; the Divisional Commander sent the Corps out to make a difference in the world, taking the love of God to a hurting world.

Celebrate With Us!

The Salvation Army in Ayr has been without a permanent home for the last 9 years -- until now!

We are so happy to be able to move into the Wallacetown area and are really excited about becoming a part of the community here.

We would like to invite you to join with us as we enjoy a week of celebrations to mark the opening of our Ayr Community Church.

Sunday 2nd October      5pm – Church Dedication Service
Monday 3rd October      2 – 3pm – Indoor Garden Party
Monday 3rd October      6pm – Kids Party Night
Tuesday 4th October     7:30pm – Bible Study
Wednesday 5th October   7:30pm – Pampered Chef Evening
Thursday 6th October    7pm – Open Band and Songster Rehearsals
(Listen to the Band and Choir and enjoy a cuppa)
Friday 7th October      7:30 – 10:30 pm – Ceilidh (Light buffet provided)
Saturday 8th October    10am – 1pm – Coffee morning
(Entry £1 – various stalls)
Sunday 9th October      10:45am – Back to Church Sunday Worship
(Coffee fellowship after service)

Let's do it again!

Ayr Community Gospel Choir

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SING GOSPEL?



Calling all singers who would like to sing in The Salvation Army’s AYR COMMUNITY GOSPEL CHOIR

Following on from the success of our 2011 summer concert the Ayr Community Gospel Choir are calling all singers from 14yrs upwards (no limit!) to do it all again - this time for a Christmas Carol Concert on Sunday the 11th December 2011.

It would be great to see everybody again and you are more than welcome to bring someone new along!

The rehearsals will be in Ayr Community Church Hall (John Street Ayr) - the venue of the concert is still to be confirmed.

• 29 September Rehearsal 7.30pm till 9.00pm
• 13 October     Rehearsal 7.30pm till 9.00pm
• 27 October     Rehearsal 7.30pm till 9.00pm
• 10 November    Rehearsal 7.30pm till 9.00pm
• 24 November    Rehearsal 7.30pm till 9.00pm
• 26 November Rehearsal 10.30am
• 08 December Rehearsal 7.30pm till 9.00pm
• 11 December    Rehearsal 3:30pm and Concert 6.00pm

All new participants will need to register (click here!) and for those of 14-18 years of age we will also require parents’ consent.

This invitation is to members of the local community and beyond to come together and form a ‘Community Gospel Choir’ which is open to everyone aged 14 and above – you, your friends, local people …. In fact, anyone whether they have a faith or not.

Joyful, Joyful!

Ayr Community Gospel Choir




The title of the concert certainly permeated the whole evening as the Ayr Community Gospel Choir (Bobby Irvine) hosted a summer concert.



Ayr Town Hall was full with members of the community and filled with the sound of enthusiastic community singing ably led by Gordon Anderson and his Worship Band.




The choir changed the mood throughout the evening with thoughtful presentation of songs such as "The Power of your Love" and "You Raise me Up" to energetic gospel renditions of "God is Working" and "Hallelujah Get Happy", which was enhanced by great solo work from Captain Wendy Parkhill and Alison Black supported by superb accompaniments from Robert Dibden.

This was in contrast to the rich sonorous sounds of Queen Victoria Brass Ensemble (Martyn Ramsay) who added a touch of the classics as well as some traditional brass band music all delivered with musicality and style.



Punctuating the evening with thoughtful and humorous drama items were the Ayr Citadel Drama Group, as ever leaving the audience with a clear and though provoking message.



Captain Graeme Parkhill drew the evening to its later stages by encouraging the community members gathered to always remember the importance of fulfilling promises that we make.

The finale to the evening included the choir and worship band in the song; Joyful! Joyful! which introduced to the audience the final guests for the evening, the Heathfield Primary School Cheer Leaders. The children thrilled the audience to a fantastic display, which was immediately repeated to the delight of the crowd.

Although admission was free for the evening there was a free will offering in aid of the Ayr Salvation Army Building Fund. A wonderful sum of £2,400 was raised, prompting a huge thank you to all who supported and gave so generously.

The title for the evening was inspired by the words of the song; "Joyful! Joyful! we adore Thee" and it is in that spirit that we give thanks to God for a great occasion.

More photographs of the occasion here.

Bobby Irvine

Praise Report

Breaking News....!

We have just heard that the trustees of the Church of Scotland have decided that our bid for the Wallacetown Church is successful!

As is so often the case, we do what we can do, and then God does what we cannot do!

Many thanks to all those who have been praying on behalf of the Corps even when circumstances appeared to be adverse.

Please pray now that as we have come to the end of this beginning we will seize the marvelous opportunities this new development will present.

In everything give praise and thanks to God for His goodness.

Book the date!

Let's do it all again!

Summer Concert 19th June 2011

Following on from the success of our 2010 Christmas concert the Ayr Community Gospel Choir are calling all singers from 14yrs upwards (no limit!) to do it all again - this time for a Summer Concert on Sunday the 19th June 2011.
It would be great to see everybody again and you are more than welcome to bring someone new along!

The rehearsals will be in Wallacetown Church Hall (John Street Ayr) - the venue and time of the concert is still to be confirmed.

• 10th March Rehearsal 7.30pm till 9.00pm
• 24th March Rehearsal 7.30pm till 9.00pm 
• 14th April Rehearsal 7.30pm till 9.00pm
  (this rehearsal is during the second week of the Easter holiday but we can have a rehearsal for whoever is available)
• 28th April Rehearsal 7.30pm till 9.00pm
• 05th May Rehearsal 7.30pm till 9.00pm   
• 19th May Rehearsal 7.30pm till 9.00pm
• 02nd June Rehearsal 7.30pm till 9.00pm
• 16th June Rehearsal 7.30pm till 9.00pm
• 19th June Concert (afternoon rehearsal, times and venue still to be confirmed)

All new participants will need to register (click here!) and for those of 14-18 years of age we will also require parents’ consent.
This invitation is to members of the local community and beyond to come together and form a ‘Community Gospel Choir’ which is open to everyone aged 14 and above – you, your friends, local people …. In fact, anyone whether they have a faith or not.

New International Leader Elected

Today The Salvation Army announced its new world leader and the 19th General will be Canadian-born Commissioner Linda Bond!

She was elected by The Salvation Army’s High Council, a group of senior leaders from around the world who met this week near London. Commissioner Bond will succeed the current world leader General Shaw Clifton, who retires early April.

Commissioner Bond will be the 3rd woman and the 4th Canadian to hold the post of General of The Salvation Army in our 146 year history. She offers more than 42 years experience of ministry and leadership and currently heads up the church and charity’s work in Eastern Australia. This region includes the recently devastated state of Queensland where The Salvation Army continues to be heavily involved in assisting victims of widespread flooding.

Once in post as General of The Salvation Army, the Commissioner will become the head of more than one million Salvationists in 123 countries.  Read more HERE at IHQ’s official press release.


Congratulations, Commissioner Bond! We wish you the best as you prepare to lead The Salvation Army.

Glory be!

Thanks be to whom? …

Where should we start when thanking people for the Community Carol Concert at Castlehill Parish Church, Ayr, on the 12th of December 2010?

Perhaps with Liz Crumlish, Minister of Castlehill, for allowing us to use the venue for a second Christmas, and, as she commented herself, recognise that we have now created a Christmas tradition?

Or the Ayr Community Gospel Choir and its leader Bobby Irvine who, over a three month period, have rehearsed on a Thursday night in order to prepare for the carol concert? They presented a wide variety of songs from ”Joy to the world” to “Christmas song” and “Christmas Wonderland” to ”Praise his Holy Name”.

Or perhaps with Marjory Watson, the guest soloist for the evening. Her outstanding talent provided us with a number of fantastic solos, among them, "It's the most wonderful time of the year", "Emmanuel", "They followed His star", and "Mary did you know"?

On the other hand, we could begin by thanking the Riverside Church Praise Band for leading the Community Carol Singing; or Alistair Simmons, pastor of Riverside Evangelical Church, who reminded us that Christ was set into the world on a Divine rescue mission – to save sinners; illustrating this message with the rescue from above of the Chilean Miners.

Let us not forget the Drama group, who brought two amusing, but thought provoking presentations; first, auditions for the heavenly Choir, and secondly, a play that reminded us that we can get so caught up in the Christmas tinsel and trimmings that its often difficult to find Jesus in the midst of our celebrations.

Or do we just say that as a community we came together and had a wonderful time singing and being reminded of Christmas, and as a community donated over £900 to Hansel Village.

However you like to put it, thanks be to God for a blessed evening singing His praises and celebrating the story of the Babe of Bethlehem – born to be our Saviour and Lord.

God has richly blessed us again this Christmas season.

Robin Black